Derek Jeter's 3 Kids: Everything to Know

Derek Jeter Instagram

Derek Jeter hit a home run with his wife, Hannah Davis Jeter, and their little team of three.

The five-time World Series champion and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, who tied the knot in 2016, are proud parents of three daughters: Bella Raine, 5, Story Grey, 4, and River Rose, 1. While the sister trio wasn't around to witness their dad's impressive career with the New York Yankees, they've championed Derek in the milestones that have happened since, including his retirement and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The couple prefers to keep their children out of the spotlight, although they have shared a few details about their family life over the years, including why they keep their personal life private.

"[Social media] has never felt natural to me. I know it's necessary in my industry, and I absolutely have to when it's part of a contract. But a lot of people post their children and husbands, and for me that will never be the case," Hannah explained in a 2019 interview with Editorialist magazine. "Both my husband and I have been in a place in our careers where we have to share so much. And we can handle it. But when you love something so much, you want to protect it more than anything in the world. And for me, that's my relationship, that's my kids."

Derek Jeter Instagram

Fans won't find many photos of Bella, Story or River on Derek's social media either. While the baseball legend previously told PEOPLE that "every day is something new" in the Jeter household and he's "so proud of those little moments," he rarely documents them online.

He did, however, share a rare photo of his three girls giving him a manicure in August 2022. In the photo, the dad of three sits in a lawn chair as Bella and Story paint his nails and baby River plays in the grass.

During a February 2023 appearance on The Tonight Show, Derek opened up about life as a girl dad, calling it "controlled chaos."

He added, "It's school pick-ups, drop-offs, they do my nails, my toenails, makeup, lipstick. It's the greatest thing I've ever experienced though, my girls, they are the absolute best."

Here's everything to know about Derek Jeter's three kids.

Bella Raine Jeter, 5

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Fans learned of the couple's first pregnancy in Hannah's heartfelt essay for The Players' Tribune — a sports media company Derek co-founded — in which she reflected on the "special" bond she hopes to cultivate between Derek and their kids.

"We want our kids' lives to be as 'normal' as possible. They're going to be born into such an extraordinary situation. They're going to have to be some strong little people," she wrote. "We don't want them to be defined by their dad's name — for them, we want him to just be 'Dad.' That will be the piece of him they'll have that the rest of the world doesn't. It will be special, and it will be theirs."

The soon-to-be mother's essay was published in February 2017, and six months later, she and Derek welcomed their first child together. Their eldest daughter, Bella Raine Jeter, was born on Aug. 17, 2017.

Media appearances are rare for the Jeter children, but the family of five did attend Derek's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Yankee Stadium in 2022. Bella even posed for solo father-daughter photos with Derek on the field and stood with him during his speech.

Ahead of the ceremony, the girls shared with their parents what they were most looking forward to — although it had little to do with their dad and everything to do with trying stadium food. "Guys, are you guys excited to go to Yankee Stadium?" Hannah asked her kids in a video shared on Derek's Instagram. "Yeah!" Bella cheered, to which Derek responded, "Yeah, what do you want to see at Yankee Stadium?"

"I want to eat!" Bella quipped. When asked if they'd like to do anything else, Story added, "Eat ice cream."

Bella also appears to have a future in sports. During his appearance on The Tonight Show, Derek discussed Bella's budding tennis career.

"My wife used to play tennis so we put our oldest in tennis lessons when she was about 4 years old," he said. "I was pretty proud because she would actually be pretty good for the 15 minutes that she would focus and then it's going to drawing in the clay."

He added that Bella is "not lacking in confidence when it comes to sports."

"One day we're taking her to practice and I say, 'Bella are you ready to go to tennis practice?' And she says, 'I don't want to go,' and I say, 'That's fine we'll find something else for you to do. But why don't you want to go?' " he explained. "She says, 'Dad, I already know how to play.' "

Story Grey Jeter, 4

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The couple's second daughter, Story Grey Jeter, was born on Jan. 31, 2019.

News of the couple's second pregnancy broke in September 2018, after Hannah was photographed out in New York City with her baby bump on display. That same week Derek, while speaking of parenthood, let it slip to Extra that "there's a few more" on the way, alluding to Hannah's pregnancy.

Since hanging up his cleats, Derek has enjoyed some daddy-daughter bonding with Story and her sisters. During a July 2022 interview with Extra, he discussed his new "Girl Dad" title. "There's a whole other side to me," the former New York Yankee revealed, citing the increase of beauty supplies in his bathroom cabinet as an example. "I'm getting my nails painted and makeup on my face." He added that the girls like to play dress up with him, too.

In between manicures and makeovers, Derek bobs back and forth between tennis lessons and ballet classes. His children, however, aren't too keen on picking up a baseball bat just yet.

Story and her siblings also aren't fully aware of just how famous their dad is, and Derek wouldn't have it any other way. "They know that I played for the Yankees. They see me on TV. They recognize me, especially during this documentary," he explained, referencing The Captain, the ESPN docuseries of his MLB career. "But other than that, they have no idea and I like it that way."

In a rare public appearance, Story stood alongside her dad and sister Bella at the podium during Derek's induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ahead of the event, she expressed her nerves about visiting Yankee Stadium for the first time in an adorable video.

"Do you want to go on the field?" Derek asked his daughters in the video, to which Story responded, "No, because I'm not a good baseball player." After her dad reassured her that it's okay if she's not a good player, Story said, "Because I don't want to broke my leg like you did."

"I don't think you have to worry about that, but thanks for your concern," Derek answered laughing.

River Rose Jeter, 1

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For baby number three, the couple decided not to publicly announce what they were expecting. Instead, fans found out about their new bundle of joy via a tweet from The Players' Tribune. Their youngest daughter, River Rose Jeter, was born on Dec. 2, 2021.

Like her big sisters, River hasn't made many appearances on her dad's social media; however, he has talked endlessly about how much he loves being their dad. "My girls are the absolute best," Derek told PEOPLE on the red carpet of the 25th annual Turn 2 Foundation dinner in 2021. "You know, you hear it before you have kids, people will tell you, 'Oh, wait until you have your own,' but it really is true."

The former pro athlete added that "it's been wonderful" to witness his daughters "learn something new every single day."

Often, that "something new" involves art and craft projects, a passion Hannah's mother passed down to her. "I grew up in a small community, my mom was a teacher, we had lots of arts and crafts going on," Hannah told the Editorialist in 2019. "I think I raise my kids just how my mom raised me — being outside with nature and animals, trying not to be so on top of them, giving them safe places to explore and use their imagination."

It isn't uncommon for Derek to come home to his family "covered in paint and glue" either, she added.